Coast Guard proposes Fresnel lens removal on Plum Island

The U.S. Coast Guard is inviting the public to comment on the proposed replacement of the historic Fresnel lens with a LED lantern in the Plum Island Range Rear Light on Plum Island.

The plan is to remove the Fourth Order Classical Fresnel lens from Plum Island Range Rear Light and replace it with a modern LED (light emitting diode) lantern.

The Fourth Order Classical lens was originally installed in lighthouses in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The lighthouses were manned by lighthouse keepers and the lenses would be cleaned daily and covered with a light cloth during daylight hours to prevent damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Now that lighthouses are automated and no longer manned, the Coast Guard is removing these lenses to preserve them as part of national history. The lens would be loaned to a local museum for public display.